Library lunch
The Boston Public Library just became a serious contender as a Back Bay lunch spot. Earlier this spring the Catered Affair, the upscale catering company, took over management of the Courtyard Restaurant and the more casual Map Room Cafe. The hushed marble-and-windowed dining room features a centerpiece of cascading orchids, Maud Morgan prints from the library’s art collection, Frette linens, and an innovative American menu. Seal the deal or have a tete-a-tete with an old friend in the courtyard over a Cobb salad with local lettuces and Great Hill blue cheese (above, right), or a herb-crusted fillet of beef. “This is a good place for conversation,’’ said diner Sharon Ellis of Brookline. “It’s quiet. That’s hard to find.’’ But you won’t be shushed. You’re in the library, not the reading room. The Catered Affair at the Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St., Boston, 617-859-2251, www.bpl.org. 